The present invention relates to an vehicular colored glass pane, of which light transmittance and reflectance are adjusted. Such glass pane is intended to maintain the privacy of vehicular occupants (driver and passengers) therethrough and the outward visibility therethrough from the vehicular interior.
Hitherto, there have been proposals of using dark-colored glass plates for automotive side and rear windows or of attaching dark-colored films to glass plates of those windows, for the purpose of maintaining the privacy of automotive rear passengers. According to these proposals, it is necessary to adjust the visible light transmittance of those windows within about 20% for sufficiently achieving this purpose.
There are further proposals of coating colored glass plates with reflective films. The reflected light from such glass plate interferes with the inward visibility toward the vehicular interior from the outside. The visible light transmittance of such glass plate can be higher than those of the above dark-colored glass plates and those of the above glass plates having dark-colored films. However, when a vehicular interior light is switched on, there is increased the reflection from the inner surface of the glass plate having a reflective film thereon. Due to this, the outward visibility from the vehicular interior is obstructed.
Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication JP-A-64-63419 discloses an automotive window glass pane having a transparent outer glass plate, a heat reflective film formed on the inner surface of the glass plate, and a transparent protective layer covering the heat reflective film. It is disclosed therein that such glass pane of Example 1 had an average visible light transmittance of 2.1% and an average visible light reflectance of 17.1%.
JP-A-6-80441 discloses a glass article having a glass substrate, a metal layer formed on the glass substrate, another layer covering the metal layer, and a protective metal oxide covering the another layer. The metal layer is made of nickel or a high-nickel-content alloy. The another layer is made of metal silicon or an oxide of nickel or of a high-nickel-content alloy. The protective metal oxide may be a stoichiometric SnO.sub.2. It is disclosed therein that such glass article according to Example 1 had a visible light transmittance of 22-23% and a visible light reflectance of the uncoated side of 11-12%, and a visible light reflectance of the coated side of 31-33%.
JP-A-6-321580 discloses an abrasion-resistant low-transmittance glass plate having a glass substrate, a heat shielding film formed on the glass plate, a first transparent protective film formed on the heat shielding film, and a second transparent protective film formed on the first film. It is disclosed therein that the glass plate has a visible light transmittance of up to 40% and a visible light reflectance of the uncoated side of up to 30%.
JP-A-7-25647 discloses a heat shielding glass plate having a transparent glass substrate and a laminate of first, second and third layers, formed on the glass substrate. The first layer is made of at least one selected from Fe-Cr-Ni alloys, Ni--Cr alloys, Ti metal and Cr metal. The second layer is made of titanium dioxide or chromic oxide. The third layer is a transparent film having a thickness of 40-100 nm and having a refractive index of up to 1.8. The glass plate has a visible light reflectance of the uncoated side of at least 25%, a visible light reflectance of the coated side, which is lower than that of the glass substrate itself, and a visible light transmittance of 30-50%.
JP-A-8-268732, having a publication date of Oct. 15, 1996, discloses a heat reflective glass plate having a glass substrate, a heat reflective first film formed on the glass substrate, and a second film formed on the first film. The first film has a first refractive index of 2.0-3.5, a first extinction coefficient of 0.2-1.5 and a first thickness of 20-80 nm. The second film has a second refractive index which is lower than the first refractive index and is of 1.6-2.3, a second extinction coefficient of up to 0.03, and a second thickness of 10-100 nm.